A Productive US NASEM Fellowship boosting CQTech and SECQUOIA's Collaboration

Following the 9th Arab-American Frontiers symposium, Professors Taha Rouabah and David Esteban Bernal Neira established a collaboration through the Arab-American Frontiers Fellowship sponsored by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). CQTech’s PI, Dr. Taha Rouabah, visited Dr. Bernal Neira, SECQUOIA’s PI, at Purdue University to investigate quantum solutions for quantum chemistry and optimization problems.

The Fellowship Journey

The fellowship provided Dr. Taha Rouabah and Abdellah Tounsi, a CQTech PhD student, with a unique opportunity to work alongside esteemed colleagues such as Dr. David Bernal Neira and his team at SECQUOIA, and engage in groundbreaking research. Over the course of the fellowship, CQTech’s PI focused on exploring quantum solutions for warehouse optimization and Quantum Chemistry, which aimed to establish a serious and long-term collaboration between the two emerging research groups.

The outcomes of this fellowship have been nothing short of extraordinary. Through dedicated efforts and collaborative spirit, a first pre-print has been generated on how to augment quantum computers to estimate the ground energies of molecules using a modified Bayesian optimization. This pre-print has significantly advanced our understanding of implementation of new optimization techniques on real quantum devices and has opened new avenues for future research and innovation as it marks just the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration between CQTech and SECQUOIA.

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine for awarding this fellowship and providing such a valuable opportunity. Their support has been instrumental in enabling these achievements and fostering an environment of scientific excellence.

Looking Ahead

As we celebrate the successful completion of this fellowship, we look forward to the continuation of this infant collaboration between two emerging young research groups. The knowledge and insights gained during this fellowship will undoubtedly contribute to ongoing and future projects, driving innovation and discovery.